Outlook 2000 Automatic E-mail response

Click on your inbox to select it. Then click on Tools-Out of Office Assistant. Click I am out of the office and enter the message that you want people to receive.

Don

Yes. Don's answer was from the MS Help file, which is sometimes not too helpful. I did some digging and found some official MS info at http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2000/olrwautoreply1.aspx

Their solution is to send a reply to only thosepeople in your Contacts. My alternative is to send a reply to EVERYONE. I don't yet know of a way to screen out a filtered address (such as for spam and smut).

*** Create a template for the auto-message
New message, add subject and body text.
Save as Outlook Template (.oft) with a suitable name, like Vacation. Close, do not save.

*** Use the Rules Wizard
1. Tools > Rules Wizard > New
2. Next (should automatically choose "Check message when they arrive")
3. Next, Yes (should automatically choose to check for all messages, no matter who the sender is)
4. In upper pane, click the checkbox for for "reply using a specific template" and in lower pane, click on "a specific template".
5. At top after "Look In", select "User Templates in File System", select the message template you made earlier, click Open.
6. Click Next twice.
7. Choose a name for the rule, such as Vacation message, de-select Turn on this rule if you're not ready to activate it, click Finish.

Before you leave, use the Rules Wizard to turn it on (just select its checkbox).

When you come back, the auto-replies will be in your Sent Items (if your program is set for that, like mine is).

Also when you return, use the Rules Wizard to turn off the auto-replying.

I just tried all this and got a successful test. Ah yes, it's good to keep the vacation rule up at the top in Rules Wizard.

Hoping this helps,
- Rick -